MISSION STATEMENt

​Relative Theatrics strives to present thought-provoking theatre that examines the joining qualities of the human race.Taking artistic risk, we provide a community gathering place where thoughts can be exchanged about society, culture, and the power of creativity.

about us

Founded by Laramie native Anne Mason, Relative Theatrics has been bringing live theatre to South East Wyoming since the summer of 2013. After gaining academic and professional experience nationwide, Mason returned to Wyoming with a goal to bring a fresh theatrical experience to the Laramie community. Relative Theatrics makes its home in the historic Gryphon Theatre of the Laramie Plains Civic Center. Bringing the audience onto the stage, we strive to create an intimate black-box setting that puts the audience into the world of the play. With the hope that all good storytelling causes a reaction in the audience, each Relative Theatrics performance is followed by a chat-back session with the cast and director, giving the community an opportunity to start a dialogue about their experiences and reactions to the play. We believe that theatre is a forum with the power to illuminate the binding qualities of humanity and reinforce the ideals that as a society we have values that pose as common ground and emotions that relate us to one another.​

Just the Facts

Relative Theatrics (RT) was founded in August 2013 by Anne Mason and premiered with a production of Brilliant Traces in August followed by Red in November 2013. Performances take place on the stage of the historic Gryphon Theatre with seating limited to 50 for an intimate theatre-going experience.

In the spring of 2015, RT started its annual Playwrights Voiced, a series of staged readings of new works by developing playwrights. By the festival's fourth year in 2018, RT received over 200 submissions and hosted four playwrights for the event from all over the country.

RT has received grant funding from the Wyoming Humanities Council in the 2015-16, 2016-17, and 2017-18 seasons to produce a monthly play-reading discussion series called Read, Rant, Relate – Igniting Conversation Through Theatre.

In February 2016 Relative Theatrics incorporated as a nonprofit and became a 501(c)(3) organization.

Local businesses advertise in RT programs. For the 2016-17 season, RT had 5 businesses that have purchased advertising for the whole season and another 2 who purchase for individual productions. Business partners increased to 12 advertising businesses during the 2017-18 season. RT is pursuing corporate sponsors for their 6th Season in 2018-19.​Relative Theatrics has fostered a relationship with Coal Creek TAP for cross-promotion. Tickets to plays are available at TAP along with a special price for a meal for people who buy advance purchase tickets.

National Public Radio featured Relative Theatrics in the spring of 2017 for a story about the groundbreaking production of What Would Crazy Horse Do? by Larissa FastHorse and the obstacles Native American playwrights face in getting their work produced.

Relative Theatrics hosted professional New York actor Ure Egbuho for a critically acclaimed production of No Child... by Nilaja Sun in the fall of 2017. At the same time, RT hosted an Auditioning and Professional Issues workshop led by Noelia Antweiler (member of the Actors Equity Association) for interested actors in the community. These were the first of many hopeful endeavors to bring guest artists to Laramie for artistic collaborations.

In the fall of 2017 Producing Artistic Director Anne Mason represented Relative Theatrics and the Wyoming Arts Council 50 Year Summit in Lander, speaking on a panel about engaging younger audiences in the arts.

RT partnered with the University of Wyoming Classical and Modern Language department to produce a reading of The Arsonists by Jacqueline Goldfinger in the Spring of 2018. The event, funded in part by The Goode Family Fund, was heavily attended and sparked engaging conversation amongst multiple disciplines.

As a part of playwright Lauren Gunderson's Natural Shocks Campaign, Relative Theatrics represented Wyoming with a reading of Gunderson's one-woman show addressing domestic violence and gun violence in the Spring of 2018. The reading, part of a national campaign of theatre activism that included 107 readings in 47 states and DC, raised money for Albany County SAFE Project and took place in the Fernwood Studio at Cowgirl Yarn in Laramie.

The UW Honors College is collaborating with RT in the fall of 2018 for the Wyoming premiere of Caryl Churchill's A Number. The play, which addresses the ethics of cloning, is in conjunction with an upper-level Honors genomics class. Students and artists will interact with one another in the classroom and the theatre, cultivating a truly interdisciplinary and community-oriented experience.

14 of Relative Theatrics plays have been Wyoming premieres. MoonSong and What Would Crazy Horse Do? were regional premieres, The Big Heartless was a New Play Premiere.

Attendance has increased over time. There were three performances of Brilliant Traces with approximately 50 patrons. Our recent production of The Nether had seven performances with over 350 patrons.